Collapsible display container



Se t. 7, 1937. G. NELSON COLLAPSIBLE DISPLAY CONTAINER Fil ed April 30, 1936 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 l'zwei'ai'ow:

6802 Nelson, 5%

Sept. 7, 1937.

G. NELSON 2,092,404

COLLAPSIBLE DI SPLAY CONTAINER 3 Sheets$heet 3 Filed April 50, 1936 Invewivv: George Nehow,

Patented Sept. 7, 1937 ZQQZAM PATENT OFFICE oo'LLAPs'IBLE DISPLAY CONTAINER George Nels'oi'i, Revere, Mass assignor to Forbes Lithograph Manufacturing Company, Chelsea,

Mass, a corporation Application April 30,

V V '7' Claims. This invention relates to collapsible containers ofthekind used by merchants for displaying for saleon their counters small articles of merchandise- The object is'to provide an improved construction for such a container which will be particularly firmand rigid in the erected or expanded position and also to providefor a subdivided container for the storage and display of more than one type of merchandise unit without mixing.

My invention will be well understood by reference-to the following description of the illustrative embodiments thereof shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings, where- 1n:--

Fig. 1 is a plan of the container in erected or expanded position;

2 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 3 is a section on the line 3--3 of Fig. 2

ona somewhat larger scale;

Fig. 4 is a plan of the container collapsed;

'l'iFig. 5 is a plan similar to Fig. 1 showing a I modification; and

' Fig. Bis a plan of the container of Fig. 5 collapsed.

The container herein shown comprises a circuit of interhinged sides, herein six in number, 6, 8, 10,12, I4, and I6. The back 6 and the two sides lateral thereto, 8 and I6, may be made of one piece of stiff cardboard or similar material and .may be extended upwardly to form the display .j ard 1B,;while the front I2 and the adjacent sides l 0, and l4 may be formed of another piece of material which may be connected terminally to the. other, herein by two permanent joints formed ,,-l );y the gluing flaps 20. The two-piece construction permits the use of cardboard finished on one sideonlyl The circuit of sides may be folded flat, as shown in Fig. 4, or expanded to the erected position of the other figures. The sides are herein shown as smaller along their bottom edges than along their top edges so that the erected container, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3, tapers from top to bottom, the'form being that of a 'frustum of a polygonal pyramid. 'I provide means extending across the container in a vertical plane for bracing it in the expanded position, in the'present instance forming a partition' whereby the interior of the container is sub- ,50 divided. This partition and'the bottom closure ,,-arel herein formed from a single additional piece ,iof h'eavy cardboard which may be folded to lie flat within the container when the latter is col- Iapsed,as illustrated in Fig. 4. This additional 55 piece herein comprises a portion 24 of a form Lvr. PM! "I I.

of Massachusetts 1936, Serial No. 77,157

corresponding to the cross section of the erected container and which may be hinged to the front wall 12, as by means of the hinged flap 26 glued to the inner surface of the front Wall. The part 24 can thus either lie flat between the superposed sets of sides in the collapsed position of Fig. 4 or, when the sides are expanded, may be swung to a diametral position extending from the front to the rear of the container, as shown in Fig. 3. The rear edge may be provided with a hooked tongue 28 adapted to be engaged with a slot 39 in the rear wall 6 of the container to maintain the parts in'the position of Fig. 3. On the upper edge of the portion 24 is hinged a similar member 32 which may be provided with a flap 34 along its forward edge and a tongue 36 along its rear edge. 'The portion 32 may be folded over into face to face contact with the portion 24 with the flap 34 providing a bearing against the inner'face of the frontwall I2, as shown in Fig. 1, and the tongue 36 mating with the tongue 28 to engage with the latter in the slot 30.

From the lower edge of the part 24 and from the distal edge of the part 32 extend the substantially identical parts 38 and 40 which are adapted to form bottom closures for the container on opposite sides of the partition, which latter in the erected position of the parts projects up as apleat from the bottom. The portions 38 and 40 are of larger area than the corresponding cross section of the erected container in the plane in which these portions are hinged to the parts 24 and 32 respectively. They may take the form of convex polygons presenting sides corresponding in position to the adjacent portions of the front and rear walls l2 and 5 and in the case, of the part 38 to the lateral sides l4 and i5 and in the case of the part 42w sides 8 and I6, but their altitude measured perpendicular to the base which is their hinge line to the parts 24 and 32 respectively is greater than the distance in a horizontal plane from those hinge lines to the" opposite angle of the erected container. Thus, surplus portions are provided terminally on these bottom-forming parts 38 and #10 which jam into the taper of the pyramid'and are supported thereby, as best illustrated in Fig. 2, forming a bottom closure which is not free to be pushed through the bottom of the container, as would be the case if it were of substantially the same area. It will be understood that the two bottom sections may be pushed'down more or less and bent in part toward the bottom plane of the container, but the extremities will be supported above the bottom in the angle of the lateral walls and support and maintain the bottom under the weight of the contents.

The container in the expanded position of Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is held by the brace formed by 5 the parts 24 and 32 against collapse and against undue expansion by pressure on the bottom sections. At the same time this brace subdivides the container. Thus, for example, milk chocolate bars might be placed in the left-hand compartment and vanilla chocolate bars in the righthand compartment and the stock thus subdivided for the convenience of the purchaser.

I have in Fig. 4 shown the container in the collapsed position most simple to illustrate. It

will be understood that to diminish the over-all dimension of the collapsed container, the part 38 may be folded up over the outside of the walls l2 and i4 while the parts 24, 32 and 40 might be folded up in zigzag and lie fiat between the collapsed front set of sides and rear set of sides. To erect the container the sides are expanded and the part 24 swung rearwardly and past center to provide a relatively large opening permitting the bottom section 38 to be freely folded up 25 past the plane of the lower edges of the sides. The parts 24 and 32 may then be folded together and the tongues 28 and 36 engaged in the slot 30 and the two bottom-forming sections 38 and 40 pushed down to be supported in the position 30 shown in Fig. 2.

In Figs. 5 and 6 I have shown a modification wherein the container is divided into more than two compartments. Herein two pleat-like portions formed from a bottom piece extend from the central portion of the front wall to the extremities of the rear wall, subdividing the container into three compartments. In Figs. 5 and 6 parts corresponding to those in the modification of Figs. 1 to 4 are designated by the same numerals with a modifying letter and it will be unnecessary to describe them all in detail. The body of the basket is formed of a circuit of interhinged sides as before. Cooperaing therewith the bottom and the subdividing partitions are formed from a single sheet comprising serially a distal end portion 380., pleat-forming portions 24a and 32a, a central triangular bottom portion 42, pleat-forming portions 32b and 24b and a distal bottom-forming section 453a. The section 32a. may be hinged to the inner face of the front wall I2a by means of the tab 33. When the container is erected, the sections 24a and 32a fold into face to face contact and the sections 32b and 24b likewise, forming two upright pleat-like partitions adapted to extend across the basket in the manner shown in Fig. 5. The edges of the various sections are provided with the hookshaped tabs 28a, 36a, 36b and 281) which engage with suitable slots, herein at the extremities of the rear Wall 60. of the container. The sections 38a, 42 and 40a. as a whole are of greater area than the bottom of the container in the plane of the lower edges of the partition-forming sections, and the distal sections 38a and 40a have edges corresponding to the opposed sides of the container so that these sections enter the dihedral angles between adjacent sides and tend to wedge into the taper of the pyramid.

The triangular bottom piece 42 may be provided with a score line 44 corresponding to its altitude, permitting the same to be doubled on itself. I have here shown it as provided with a central tab 36 projecting from its base, likewise crossed by the score line 44. When the parts are erected, the tab 46 may be bent up at an angle to the section 42, thus stiffening the same against folding along the line 44. The tab will also close the crack at the back where the base of the section 42 opposes Wall 6a of the container.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the various sections of 5 the bottom and partition-forming piece as extended in a plane. When the basket is collapsed for shipping or storage, however, the member 24a may fold forwardly, viewing Fig. 2, over section 32a and the portion 38a rearwardly against the 0 opposite face of 24a. The bottom section 42 may be folded on its score line 44 to be disposed behind 320. and between the same and 32b which is aligned with 32a. 24b folds downwardly in face to face relation with 32b, and 40a upwardly 15 behind 242;. In other words, all the parts, counting the two halves of 42a as separate parts, fold in a continuous zigzag and all are disposed within the projected area of 32a, which is positioned as shown in Fig. 6, and are substantially entirely re- 20 ceived within and between the collapsed sides.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive; reference being had to the appended claims rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

I claim: 30

1. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed flat or expanded to hollow form, a member adapted to extend upright transversely across the erected container hinged along one of its upright edges to the inner face of a wall along a substantially upright axis between the upright edges of the latter and having a tongue projecting from its opposite edge, a second member hinged to a transverse edge of the first foldable into face to 0 face contact therewith and having a tongue projecting from an edge thereof, the rear wall of the container having a single slot to receive the tongues to hold the members together and in position and parts carried by the members adapt- 45 ed to be unfolded and positioned to fill in a cross section of the expanded container at either side of the members, the said members and associated parts being foldable about said upright axis to lie flat with the collapsed sides. I

2. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of interhinged sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed fiat or expanded to hollow polygonal form and a sheet comprising bottom sections collectively adapted to fit in the bottom portion of the expanded container to close the same and other sections intervening between adjacent bottom sections and foldable into face to face relation to extend upright within the expanded container to subdivide the same and having provision 60 whereby they may be suspended from the sides in the expanded position of the latter comprising a hinge joining one of the sections to the inner face of a side along a substantially upright axis between the lateral edges thereof and about which 65 said sheet may be folded to dispose the sections thereof substantially flat with the collapsed sides.

3. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed flat or to be expanded to hollow form and a sheet 70 comprising a series of bottom sections collectively adapted to close the bottom of the container and alternating therewith pairs of sections adapted to fold into face to face relation to provide upwardly projecting pleats subdividing the erected 75 container, said sheet being hinged along a substantially upright axis and to the container sides along an edge of one of the pleat-forming sections and being foldable on said axis to lie flat with the collapsed sides, and means for engaging said pleats with other portions of the erected container.

4. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed flat or to be expanded to hollow form and a sheet comprising interior and distal bottom sections collectively adapted to close the bottom of the container and alternating therewith pairs of sections adapted to fold into face to face relation to provide upwardly projecting pleats subdividing the erected container, the bottom material between successive pleats having a fold line extend ing in the general direction of the pleat edges whereby it may be doubled to lie substantially in planes of the pleat-forming sections, and means for suspending said pleats from the sides of the erected container.

5. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed flat or to be expanded to hollow form and a sheet comprising interior and distal bottom sections collectively adapted to close the bottom of the container and alternating therewith pairs of sections adapted to fold into face to face relation to provide upwardly projecting pleats subdividing the erected container, the bottom material between successive pleats having a fold line extending in the general direction of the pleat edges whereby it may be doubled to lie substantially in planes of the pleat-forming sections and an extension across which said line extends but foldable transversely thereto to form a flange opposing a side, and means for suspending said pleats from the sides of the erected container.

6. A collapsible container comprising a circuit of sides adapted alternatively to be collapsed flat or to be expanded to hollow form and a sheet comprising a central, generally triangular section and distal sections collectively adapted to close the bottom of the container and alternating therewith pairs of sections adapted to fold into face to face relation to provide upwardly projecting pleats subdividing the erected container, said sheet being hinged to the container along an edge of one of the pleat-forming sections, and means for suspending opposite edges of pleatforming sections from sides of the erected container at spaced points.

7. A collapsible container comprising a body consisting of a circuit of interhinged sides and a cooperating sheet comprising a series of sections foldable in zigzag to lie flat with the collapsed sides and erectable to provide bottom sections collectively closing the bottom of the container and l alternating therewith pairs of sections projecting upwardly to provide pleat-like partitions subdividing the container.

GEORGE NELSON. 

